NORTH YORKSHIRE
Passage waders and ducks, plus resident passerines
MAX MILES ON FOOT: 4 MIN TIME: 3 HOURS
Gouthwaite Reservoir, owned by Yorkshire Water, is classed as a private nature reserve, with an SSSI status for its wildfowl and waders. The north end is the shallow end, with the River Nidd flowing in, and it is here where a lot of the action is.
WHERE TO WATCH
1 Coming out of Patley Bridge, the minor road by the reservoir is not ideal for stopping, so carry on to the car park and picnic area, where there is a viewing look-out, ideal for a good mixture of ducks and geese.
2 To get away from the traffic, you can drive around the edge of the reservoir via Ramsgill, where the Nidderdale Way allows a lovely walk alongside the reservoir. Now you can watch at leisure. The shallow end is ideal for a good mixture of waders, from Lapwing and Curlew, to Redshank and Oystercatcher, with occasional waders more associated with the coast dropping in, like Turnstone, Knot and Sanderling. Red-necked Phalarope has occurred here, along with Little Stint, Dunlin and Greenshank.
3 Walking along the way, you can scan the ducks and geese, with plenty of Canada Goose and Greylags to start with. Pink-footed Geese pass through, and it is worth looking for oddments, with pale-bellied Brent having been found here. The ducks in winter include Mallard, Gadwall, Teal and Wigeon, with Shelduck and even Garganey being found in spring.
4 Walking on to deeper water, you can find Tufted Duck, Pochard and occasional Scaup. Long-tailed Duck has been found, along with Red-breasted Merganser and Goosander, and always check the grebes. Great Crested is regular, Little is present most winters, and a Pied-billed Grebe was a rare visitor! High passage can see Common Scoter flying over, with 95 counted. This walk is ideal for woodland birds, with both Great Spotted and Green Woodpecker, Nuthatch, Treecreeper and a mixed bunch of
